


Everything We've Got

by Misery_Martini



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Blood and Violence, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, It's a pup, Ok So Maybe I Like To Explain Things, Show Business, Television, Werewolf, saimatsu - Freeform, slow plot, the lurve is large
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-12
Updated: 2019-05-05
Packaged: 2020-01-12 02:18:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18436985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Misery_Martini/pseuds/Misery_Martini
Summary: The staff of Team Danganronpa can never agree on the best formula for the killing game. Some say that fact alone keeps the brand fresh after decades of being on air. Season 53 is in for a rough start as the creators of the killing game discover multiple errors piling up on the season premier.[This fic is a work in progress: summary/tags/plot and even the friggin title might change]Inspired by fanart by Nekuya on Instagram:Nekuya's Werewolf ShuichiNOTE: I finally got to the good part! Ehehehehe!!! Did you know that a Blue Rare steak is actually a thing?





	1. Chapter 1

The atmosphere had suddenly gone from cordial to tense in the small, white walled meeting room. Not that it was unusual--no, this type of workplace hazard was standard fare for the staff of season 53. With being the most innovative form of television entertainment on the market, the brand’s reputation was riding on their latest venture. Sure, Danganronpa had an award winning track record of keeping the brand fresh throughout the years, but the teenage demographic was notorious in demanding more. The current experiment in viewership novelty was virtual participation. The _idea_ of actually bringing the viewers into the ultimate school wasn’t a new one. Revolutionary camera technology via the Nanokumas had tested well in the focus groups and had added a second wind to what many would consider an ancient reality series.

What the new Killing 1 Bot v.0 would do this season would set the tone for future endeavors: the viewers themselves would decide where the storyline branched out at critical trial moments. It was genius really, Danganronpa was literally running itself with how far the company had progressed technology-wise.

But what the staff of Danganronpa argues about on a near daily basis is the same squabble you’d have over figuring out what’s for dinner tonight. Motives. It’s always motives.

Team Kuma--the specialized team that operated and voiced the mascot, Monokuma--usually butted heads with the development team. Long time staffers with tried and true knowledge on what made “emotions run like blood” and yen pile up in the bank accounts were the very core of what made the show’s spirit. This elite group of people was what the fans knew as Monokuma.

 

“I know we’re all excited about testing K1B0 this season but we still need to give Monokuma a Plan B in case the storylines for our characters go off the wires.”

“Why do we always have to give this bear motives? The participants this season are going to deliver--this one guy has been watching the show since he was in diapers, he’s all in.”

“Yeah, and you made him the wimpy straight laced detective…”

“Hey! I wasn’t going to break his heart, he was begging me. He had his own detective themed execution planned out, how adorable is that? But I gave him a lot of space for character development. He’s either gonna be the surprise sick freak of the show or the most relatable protagonist we’ve had in awhile. It could go either way.”

“What about the others?”

“Last season’s winner is fine doing a cameo; agreed to getting nixed ASAP since we have him en route for the photo shoot in Fiji. The young woman playing Tojo chose the prime minister backstory--you know that character is absolutely _primed_ to kill if we go ahead with the trial two motive. Look, at the very least our Korekiyo is a walking talking creep show out to get our most loveable girls. He wants to do a double kill, even signed on it.”

“...Fine, but we need something fresh--the hope and despair theme has gone on for ages, I’ll admit. My team and I don’t want a classic Makoto showdown anymore. Did you watch the Fanclub’s reaction to the promo for season 53 online yesterday? They’re already placing bets on who’s Team Hope and who’s Team Despair.”

“I know, I know...Those two words are so overused that I can’t help but cringe whenever I hear my 18 year old say them.”

“So, honestly, Team Kuma wants to shift the perspective a bit. It’s not about causing chaos for the sake of chaos--that’s just old news. Let’s go blank slate: we’re going to make them question reality itself--the existence of Hope’s Peak, the outside world, themselves--just everything. We’ll make it about truth and lies. Teens love that shit.”

“So you _did_ read the character bio for our Ultimate Liar then!”

“Of course we did! The dev team does fabulous work. If we can all get on the same page once in a while, we will.”

“I’m getting teary-eyed, can you tell us how great we are again?”

“Hey if we get the bonus from meeting our viewership goal this year I’ll make out with you anywhere, anytime.”

“Wait, there’s an issue…”

“What now?”

“Shouldn’t we have the Ultimate Liar as the protagonist? Just running with the truth and lie theme here...Or switch him out with Tsumugi for Mastermind? At least for the final reveal?”

“With the theme being truth and lies...Having the Ultimate Liar as Mastermind is just...expected. _Expected_ is not in our vocabulary. Besides the cosplay routine is totally new territory for us!”

“I mean...why not have him and the detective play off each other then? Maybe multiple protagonists?”

“Don’t you remember what happened for the 50th anniversary celebration? We brought out all the fan favorites as protagonists for each trial and it was a complete mess.”

“God, just handling Junko’s six personalities alongside the Monokuma bot gave me the worst migraine.”

“But...I didn’t write any inner monologue for the liar. I can’t do protag script writing now, there’s no time! Plus the detective always gets more airtime anyway. In my opinion, the more cryptic the liar character is the better. How about this--let’s go with the truth/lie theme and shake it up a bit. Switch out the Ultimate Liar’s title, make it something smartass. Like, Ultimate HR Specialist, or whatever.”

“Funny.”

“...and have one of Korekiyo’s potential victims as a protagonist to balance out the detective. We need higher female viewership anyhow.”

“I’d say the bossy blonde is perfect. We didn’t write much for her other than ‘positive role model, likes music’.”

“Wonderful. Excellent. Done. But we were supposed to have been discussing Monokuma motives…”

“Oh right..that.”

“So, we’ve got the backstory motive for the planned Tojo incident. Anything else?”

“Oh! I just got the best idea! We’re still running with the Love Hotel gimmick for the pervs right?”

“Full steam ahead.”

“Fans absolutely love when we take a bland, one dimensional character and transform it into a full fledged person. What if we take the word _transform_ literally here? It can be Monokuma’s ace up the sleeve if nothing juicy pans out. Maybe even comic relief---have him use Usami’s cupcake wand.”

“You mean transform like Hajime/Izuru style? I don’t get it…”

“No no. Transform like: monster style. Something classic, something deadly. Something with sex appeal. Do it early on before the participants fall into despair mode.”

“You know, that’s got to be the dumbest suggestion I’ve heard in a long time.... I love it!”

 

 

He was dreaming right? This had to be a horrible dream. There was no way a useless “Ultimate” like himself could even be here with fifteen other students, trapped in something called a prison school.

He shook his head briefly and sighed, hoping to lift what felt like a heavy fog from his brain.

The concerned gaze of the other student who had been oddly stuffed into the locker next to his fell upon him. Why was it that he and Kaede Akamatsu had been put into lockers, side by side? It felt staged and his detail oriented mind was kicking into overdrive.

“Saihara-kun, I don’t want you to worry. We’re going to figure all of this out, together.”

She gave him an infectious shy smile. Something about her drew him in against his better judgement. Ever since that traumatic case of his he’d been wary of people. Even offering to do simple robbery cases to get rid of those horrible accusatory eyes burning into his soul. His uncle had praised him, telling him that doing what was morally right wasn’t always easy. Logically he understood that, yet he’d even taken to using a cheap black baseball cap to put a physical barrier on people’s faces. The resolution of the case had just been pure luck--or maybe it was more like bad luck.

But what had earned him the title of Ultimate Detective was following his gut instincts. Being virtually abandoned by his parents, he had always respected his uncle. He’d often follow him around as a young boy, wanting to be near him. His uncle would often tell him that a first hunch is often the best clue. So if Akamatsu said to trust her, well he’d just have to trust her.

 

Monokuma’s announcement of a game revolving around killing had sent the students into a tailspin of emotions. This was completely sick! Just what was the point of all of this? And for that matter, how had any of them gotten here in the first place? The only silver lining she could think of was the young man next to her. With an Ultimate Detective on their side they’d find a way out for sure! If nothing else, Kaede Akamatsu was a positive thinker. After all, she wasn’t called the Piano Freak for just giving up on the piano right?

A heavy sigh brought her out of her thoughts.

There was something about Shuichi that brought out a wave of protectiveness in her. It felt like being unable to let go of a precious vibrato note in Chopin’s “Prelude in E Minor”...

She had to be strong. Not just for herself, but for him. He needed to believe in himself and she needed to believe in him. What good was a pianist for in this dangerous situation anyhow? Kaede put her best convincing smile on her face and reassured Shuichi. It’ll have to do for now.

“Kaede…”

She turned around to find Rantaro approaching her, a determined look on his face. Out of everyone, Rantaro was strangely the only one who had a sixth sense of the current situation. But how could that even be? He couldn’t even remember his own talent!

“I’d be careful if I were you. I was just thinking what you said back there to Monokuma would’ve pissed off whoever’s running this. They’re going to come after you, with everything they’ve got..you can’t be so straightforward, Kaede…”

As Rantaro turned to leave, Shuichi interjected. “Rantaro! For an amnesiac you sure have a lot of sound advice. You knew that there were sixteen of us in total. You knew exactly what the monokubs wanted from us. You obviously know something about all this.”

Shuichi had a nervous look in his eyes as his cheeks began to redden, undoubtedly feeling abashed with his uncharacteristic action. That determination...Without a doubt, Kaede knew Shuichi was not the pushover he claimed to be. Not in the slightest.

Rantaro laughed gently at Shuichi’s insinuation.

“You would think so right? But so far it all just feels like lucky guesses.” He brought his finger to his chin in contemplation. “You both were the last to arrive at the gym. Where did you first wake up?”

Shuichi looked over to Kaede, his face getting redder by the second.

“Well, Shuichi and I were inside separate lockers in the same classroom upstairs. Someone had to have put us there but we just don’t know who.”

Rantaro blinked in surprise. “You were...inside of a locker? That’s surprising.”

“It is? Where were you then?”

“In my dorm, on my bed.”

Shuichi looked off to the side, disappointment on his face. “If we have ultimate labs then it would make sense to have our own rooms. Our captors want us here for the long term it seems.”

“Yeah.” Rantaro folded his arms as he continued. “That’s why I told Kaede it wouldn’t be that easy to escape this place. We’re well provided for: food, shelter...we’re here for the long haul. Or possibly the short haul, depending how you look at it…”

“Don’t say that!” Kaede shook momentarily from her sudden outburst. “We can’t just give in like that!”

Rantaro sympathetically looked at Kaede. “I’m sorry Kaede, I really am, I don’t want to alarm you but...I don’t want to give you false hope either.”

“Rantaro, sorry to pry but, umm when we first met you, you asked if we had possibly been kidnapped, is that right?”

Rantaro’s eyes flicked over to Shuichi in curiosity. “That’s a good memory you’ve got there Shuichi. Yes I did. I was thinking it was a likely scenario for us. Group hypnosis and brainwashing, well, it seems a little out there--but I’d say this situation is a little out there as well.”

“Well, what if...What if I said that I remember being kidnapped?”

Kaede looked over to Shuichi in shock. Did he just lie to Rantaro? Shuichi’s face had gone from a flushed pink to a deathly pale white. She moved a little closer to him, just in case he was going to hit the floor.

“Is that so?” Rantaro didn’t look like he was buying Shuichi’s lie. Whatever Shuichi was trying to do, Kaede resolved to help him. She had more trust in Shuichi than Rantaro at the moment and that was good enough for her.

“It’s true Rantaro,” she grabbed Shuichi’s hand and rubbed her thumb across his knuckles affectionately. The action itself seemed to calm him. She looked at Rantaro apologetically. “I’m sorry we didn’t tell you sooner. Shuichi had a very bad experience; he hasn’t gotten over it I’m afraid.”

“No. Of course not.” Rantaro shifted a little, looking slightly uncomfortable. “Being kidnapped while walking home from school is a traumatic experience. I was with two of my sisters at the time.”

Shuichi’s eyes widened. “You were?”

A vague memory of shadowy figures immediately floated in Kaede’s mind. When it began to fade out, she cried out in pain as she gripped her head. In a rush, Rantaro and Shuichi steadied her by the upper arms.

“Are you all right?” Rantaro softly asked.

“There it is again…” Kaede mumbled.

“What? What do you mean there it is again?” A small panic edged Shuichi’s voice. “This happened to you in the classroom before!”

“Kaede listen to me. This might sound strange but, did you see yourself with some kind of helmet on your head?” Rantaro bit his lip, looking afraid of Kaede’s potential answer.

Kaede gasped as she looked at Rantaro with frightened eyes.

“Yes,” she said in a hushed voice. She quickly grabbed Rantaro by both shoulders.

“Rantaro please, please tell us what you remember. When I think about it all, all I can be sure of is music. I remember growing up practicing piano, winning competitions...But I can’t remember where I lived. I don’t remember my friends from school. I’m not sure if I have siblings. I can’t even remember my mother’s face!”

Kaede’s eyes were brimming with tears as she hung onto Rantaro. The declaration sent a wave of shock into the young men.

Rantaro’s mouth was agape. “You can’t even remember that? Are you the same Shuichi?”

Shuichi swiftly replied. “No. No, I’m an only child, living with my uncle…”

Shuichi looked at Rantaro, fear clearly visible on his face as his voice wavered. “Rantaro, there’s something horribly wrong with all this. You know there is. If there’s anything you might know to help us, we need to know. We’re all in this together so we need to work together...Somehow. I need to believe that.”

Rantaro looked at Shuichi and Kaede for a long moment. In Kaede’s mind it felt like time had crawled to a stand still. Shuichi reached for Kaede and she hugged him tightly, afraid to let go.

Rantaro’s eyes shut as he stood still and heavily swallowed before he spoke.

“Fine. I’ll tell you. But you both need to promise me you’ll tell no one else. Otherwise I may just kill you both. That’s a legitimate threat. I don’t care for being betrayed.”

The tone of his voice was harsh. But they needed to face this harsh truth head on, together. Shuichi and Kaede looked at each other for a second before replying in unison.

“We swear.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We find the harmony part of the game, but the killing part? Not so much... An angry Monokuma is a desperate one it seems! Upupupupu!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to thank Zafarion Uriuc on helping me hash out some cannon questions I had. Check out his fanfic: [March Towards Purification](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15909096/chapters/37083717), I really enjoy reading his characterizations, which to me are spot on. He also has a Discord server at <https://discord.gg/NTc9BTS> where I've been able to bounce ideas off people and just generally harass people virtually, which I enjoy. Also would like to thank the legendary leg chopper, Anonymous_Cupcake for her Chapter 14--a true inspsiration for humanity: [Their Beloved Saihara](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16804591/chapters/40327445). Lastly, a shout out to my virtual son "Livid" and potential BFF, Reaper Doomsday Device, who tolerate me well!

“My lovely kubs! I just saw the most interesting development unfold! Do you know what it was?”

Monokuma turned back from his monitor to face the new kub robots designed to add some slapstick humor for Season 53. _Designed_ being the optimal word that is. The kubs were the game representations of the development team. Team Kuma, operators of Monokuma, had just received footage from the show’s opening ceremony via the Nanokumas. Looks like Season 53 was going to be a rough ride after all.

“Oh yeah! The Killing 1 Bot got the Miu cleavage shot early! Rock hard ragers comin’ through!” Monokid strummed his guitar in excitement.

“Noo…”

“I gots it!” said Monosuke. “The audience is so pleased with the cast that we’s got record numbers for our season premiere.”

“Noo, not that…”

“Oh, it must be our sales of monokub plushies, right?” asked Monophanie.

Monokuma’s face turned bright red, paws flying to the sky.

“You stupid worthless monkeys! We spent nearly a full year gearing up for this season and you’re fucking it all up because SOMEONE can’t double check their work!”

“Oh no! What happened?” asked Monotaro.

“I’ll tell you what happened! When we all agreed on having two protagonists, someone made an oopsie by not giving Kaede a full family backstory!”

Monosuke pushed his glasses up on his nose.

“Ehehehe, wasn’t that yous again Monophanie?"

“Stop pining it on me because I’m operating the female robot, dummy!”

Monokuma continued: “With Rantaro having memories from the last game the combination of the two caused the protagonists to question the game WAY too early! They won’t play if they start to think the game itself is flawed.”

Monokuma then played footage of the conversation between Rantaro, Shuichi and Kaede to the development team.

“Aw, how sweet!” Monophanie gushed. “The Kaede character put her trust into Shuichi--it’s the beginning of a romance storyline!”

“WE-MUST-GET-ALONG” deadpanned the normally silent Monodam.

“I’m all for a good romantic drama but Poppa Kuma got this right. When Rantaro show’s the Survivor Perk Tablet to them brats we’s could be at a standstill in the game,” said Monosuke.

“Oh no! I just remembered! Rantaro’s got the photoshoot to go to in Fiji. He’s gotta die!” Monotaro anxiously declared.

“Let’s chew him up and spit him out!” screamed Monokid.

Monokuma sighed. “We’re going to keep an eye on this. We’ll have Tsumugi cause a distraction for now. But we want you all to consider Plan B alternatives in case things keep being chummy. We’ve got to give it our all early on: less viewership, less moolah, capice?”

“Rodger Doger Captain!” shouted Monotaro.

“Okie dokey!” cried Monophanie.

“Yeah, yeah jerkwads” Monosuke said snidely.

“We’re gonna rip this season to shreds!” screamed Monokid.

 

Monokid stood stock still.

“SHUT-UP-PLEASE.”

 

Rantaro had taken Kaede and Shuichi to his room. Shuichi had to admit, his tactic in dealing with Rantaro surprised him. He just had this hunch that there was more to Rantaro’s story than he was letting on. Shuichi figured his uncle would’ve been upset if let the best clue slip through his fingers. But he fumbled--he couldn’t pull off his lie well enough. Kaede had somehow understood his scheme and saved it all. In that moment a sense of relief and pride had flooded over him. And then in the very next it felt like a stab in the heart. Shuichi couldn’t be sure that Kaede’s confession of having no personal memories of her life was true, but her delivery was very convincing.

Whatever the case, they had managed to get Rantaro’s confidence. The secret he had, well, he was deadly serious about it.

“Come on in,” said Rantaro as he ushered them quickly into his room. The bedroom was nicely ordered. Aside from a few textured accent pieces that gave the room a worldly feel, the room was very minimal. As Shuichi and Kaede took a seat, Rantaro began to rummage through his closet. Shuichi looked at Kaede nervously; she still looked a bit in disarray from earlier, her mouth twisting unhappily. His doubt on her confession being a lie began to ebb away--this wasn’t the same Kaede from earlier. Not the confident, happy one. Her distress chipped away at him as he gripped his chest.

Rantaro reemerged holding what looked to be a Monopad. He opened it towards the two of them.

“When I woke up, this Monopad was next to me. As I looked through it, I found that it had information about every room in the entire school. There was also… a confusing video.”

Shuichi’s eyes scanned over the rooms. “This room here! The one attached to the library--It’s labeled Mastermind Lair!”

“Yeah, that definitely stood out to me. We’ve got a Mastermind with us in this game. But what really got my attention was this video here.” Rantaro pointed to a video file with a dejected look.

“Just what was on this video Rantaro? It’s, it’s not a good thing is it?” asked Kaede.

Rantaro chuckled. “Well, there’s never much good in a killing game is there? I was able to find out my talent and a clue to end this game.” He looked off into the distance, his face hardening. “I’m the Ultimate Survivor. I’ve been in a killing game before.”

“Survivor?” Shuichi looked at him questioningly. “Does that mean you’ve won the last game? If you survived the last game, why would you still be here?”

“I wish I knew. It seems to imply I won. But I really don’t know. I can’t remember."

Kaede gently touched Rantaro’s arm. “What about the clue?”

“On the Monopad I stated that the best way to end the game would be when Monokuma needed a spare. The Mastermind would then go into the lair, which seems to be accessible by the hidden door in the library.”

“A spare huh? When would Monokuma need a spare anyway?” Kaede seemed lost in thought.

“I also told myself that I’d know this was all true when the first memory I remembered was the Ultimate Hunt...Do either of you know about this event?” Rantaro questioned.

Shuichi tried to recollect his spotty memories. “Ultimate...Hunt?” He squinted as if the action itself could potentially help him jog his memory. But to no avail. “I have no idea of what that means.”

Kaede let out a shaky breath. “There’s too many questions--we don’t know what’s true and what’s fake at this point. We’ve got to convince everyone that we can’t believe Monokuma. We can’t kill each other when we don’t even know what’s the truth!”

A sudden knock at the door shook them out of their thoughts.

“Rantaro? Are you there? Are Shuichi and Kaede with you?”

Rantaro quickly grabbed the Monopad and hid it within his closet.

“Tsumugi?” He opened his door to reveal Tsumugi along with Keebo in tow.

“Hey! We’ve been looking for you three!” exclaimed Keebo.

“That’s right! While we were exploring the school, Gonta found an underground tunnel! It looks like a possible way out!” said Tsumugi.

“A way out?” asked Shuichi.

“Leave no stone unturned, right guys?” Rantaro gave a mysterious smile. “Let’s check it out.”

The trio walked out together, unsure of what lay ahead.

 

“Well…” Kaede thought. “That was a complete failure.”

They had attempted to cross Monokuma’s “Death Road of Despair” multiple, if not bordering hundreds, of times. Kaede had tried to rally them together, along with Kaito, but the hopelessness of the situation was apparent to them all. It had been a trap, it had goaded them into believing it was an actual escape. If not for Kaito’s kind words, Kaede would have been disappointed. But somehow, the hope of escape still hung on--with Shuichi and Rantaro with her she knew they’d manage.

Even when Monokuma announced a new motive involving their prior memories, they all had managed. The Monokubs had mixed up some of their videos during the night and in a desperate plea to share the information amongst themselves, the trio had convinced them all to watch the tapes together. The greatest voice of opposition was Kokichi of course, followed by a reluctant Maki. After discussing the potential meaning behind each--with Kirumi visibly disturbed by her own tape--the group had developed a somewhat informal camaraderie that Kaede was proud of. After assuring Kirumi that Japan could manage itself without her at the helm, both Kaito and Rantaro had assigned the duty-oriented ultimate the task of finding an escape without the use of violence. A difficult task, but one that Kirumi was willing to consider.

Even when Hoshi’s empty video was revealed, Shuichi was kind enough to mention how Hoshi was atoning for his crimes and that while he may be a prisoner, he still had friends. Kaede saw how Hoshi had tried to hide a blush on his face--Shuichi’s kindness was genuine and it made her smile. After Kaito’s increasing insistence even Maki revealed her tape to the group’s shock--the reveal of her being the Ultimate Assassin was tough to stomach. Despite Kokichi’s attempts to fan the flames of her dangerous skill the group had solidified enough to counter his desperate claims. Crying fake tears Kokichi relented and showed his own video, much to his own dismay claiming: “You guys are no fun!” and pouting in a corner.

Kaede knew none of it would have happened without the support of Shuichi, Rantaro and Kaito. They had actually made a fun evening together sharing stories, eating Kirumi’s delicious treats and getting to know one another.

“You know, I take back what I said to you when we first met Kaede,” Rantaro said with a smile. “Maybe being honest isn’t so bad after all.”

Kaede smiled with delight. “I’m just so glad you decided to trust Shuichi and I. We’ll make sure you never regret it!”

Rantaro laughed, his face the most relaxed Kaede had seen since the start of the game.

“Now don’t go making promises you can’t keep!”

 

Shuichi was sitting next to Kaede in front of the grand piano which stood prominently in the middle of her lab. The room was spacious with few furnishings--Kaede had said that the less there was the better since the piano’s acoustics would amplify and fill the room with a rich sound as she played. Being so close to her had somehow rattled him and he began to stutter.

“There’s no need to be so anxious, Shuichi" said Kaede, soothingly. Here, let me play you something that will calm you, like a warm blanket on a cold winter’s day--Ah, I know! Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata!”

As Kaede played the haunting melody, Shuichi felt himself loosen up as his mind began to wander. He imagined a grand ballroom, Victorian in style, with candles around its perimeter. He was formally attired, in a fitted tailcoat tuxedo while dancing with Kaede. Kaede was in a lovely ball gown, blush pink in color and strapless. The thought would normally embarrass the heck out of Shuichi but he felt entirely at peace, confident in his movements as he effortlessly danced across the spacious room with Kaede in the soft glow of the candlelight.

He felt the side of his face brush up against something soft and was startled to see a pair of violet eyes inches from his own. He jumped up and prepared to apologize but Kaede giggled before her hand quickly went from the piano to the side of his face. She looked into his eyes with a sultry look and he could feel himself literally _melting_. They were less than an inch away when…

_Ding Dong! Ding Dong!_

“Attention all students! Please bring your hippie peace loving asses to the gymnasium pronto! And no loitering around or you’ll be exisal mush!”

Despite Monokuma’s crude remarks, both Shuichi and Kaede were still transfixed on each other albeit farther apart now.

“I guess… we should go,” Shuichi said disappointedly.

“Not before I do this!”

Kaede gave him a quick kiss on the lips, much to Shuichi’s surprise. He quickly looked away in a panic.

Kaede laughed. “You’re adorable.”

 

Not long after, they all arrived in the gym in front of a very pissed off looking Monokuma. He was at his podium with an odd looking wand in his hand. Was that a cupcake at the end of it?

“I’m the headmaster of this school and when my students misbehave, I have to take action!” Monokuma cried. “Due to your laziness in continuing the killing game I’m going to dole out a punishment!”

“A punishment? You...you mean an execution?” cried Tenko.

“Upupupupu! Don’t be a moron! Your handbooks explicitly state that I can’t kill any of you. Since all of you insist on being such great friends, I’m going to pick the most harmless among you and show you what true terror is! That’ll get the blood pumping eh, Shuichi?”

The mention of his name startled Shuichi.

“Wh-wha…”

Before Shuichi could say anything else, a robotic arm extended out from Monokuma’s stomach snaring itself around Shuichi’s neck. The students screamed as he was jettisoned off to land in front of Monokuma.

“How do you like your steak Shuichi hmm? Are you a fan of medium rare? Or maybe you like them...blonde?” Monokuma jeered as he laughed cruelly.

Shuichi gasped for breath in his panicked frenzy to escape. A comically large needle appeared out of the robotic arm and pierced him in the neck. He gave a startled scream. As soon as it punctured him it withdrew--along with Monokuma’s choke hold.

Kaede immediately dove for Shuichi with the rest of the class not far behind. She gently shook Shuichi in her embrace.

“Shuichi? Shuichi! Can you hear me?”

Shuichi felt numb as a strange feeling began to tingle within him. It made him feel sick--as if he went from hot to cold and back again.

He gave a blood curdling scream as he convulsed in Kaede’s arms. He felt her struggle to hold onto him as everyone suddenly backed away. Agony radiated through him; it felt like his bones were snapping and breaking only to reheal and break again. He felt liquid--was it blood? Saliva? Dripping down from his mouth as he rolled on the ground in pain. The sound of cloth ripping echoed loudly in his ears. An odd feeling rippled across his skin; it felt like goosebumps but the feeling itself was so...strange.

As the wave of pain lessened he noticed a powerful desire cross his mind. He felt...hungry. But for what he wasn’t quite certain. Fish? Fish was his favorite wasn’t it? No, he needed something a bit more...fresh.


	3. Chapter 3

_ How...How is this even possible?  _

Kaede was on her knees not far from what used to be...Shuichi Saihara. Her mind raced with thoughts, one after the other:  _ Amnesia, brainwashing, hypnosis, ultimate hunt, mastermind, “you wanted this game”, game, they were in a game… _

Could a game do this? Change them? Turn them  _ inhuman _ ? A game? No, this wasn’t any old game was it. It was...it was nothing Kaede had ever seen or heard of in her spotty, suspiciously void life.

The creature was making small grunting noises. It appeared dazed as it struggled to right itself on its  _ legs.  _

_ On its four legs…  _

Small pools of blood on were splattered the floor around it as the creature began to lick its limbs.  _ Was it cleaning itself?  _

Shuichi’s uniform was torn in spots due to his now abnormally long limbs. If Shuichi was a lanky person before, what he was now was near comical. The transformation had made him even taller, adding six inches to his height. The clothing on his torso and pelvis were intact but there were small scraps of what used to be his sleeve or pant leg next to him on the floor. His skin was now covered with mostly black fur, his hands and feet remaining flesh-like. His loafers were broken--the nubs of the shoe were temporarily still on his toes but his entire foot was gigantic. It was the foot of a predator. His hands looked like the limbs of a daddy long legs spider, the fingertips now sharp claws. 

But what struck Kaede the most was its face. The eyes, the hair...there were reminders of Shuichi there. His normally icy eyes were clouded yellow, making the monster look sickly. The ears were soft looking, surrounded by a fuzz of wild strands of hair on his long neck. But the rest was animalistic. The lean face tapered into a snout full of sharp, razor like teeth with saliva dripping from a hungry looking mouth.

“Kaede you dummy!” hissed Kokichi from nearby, his face serious. “Back away slowly now!”

“Everyone get behind me!” boomed Maki. “Someone get Kaede--she’s in shock!”

Kaede could feel Rantaro’s arm snake its way around her waist hoisting her upwards. Rantaro spoke into her ear: “No sudden movements, no loud noises. We are walking backwards now, got it?”

“No…” Kaede’s voice came out breathy. She was finding it hard to breathe all of a sudden. Was she having a panic attack? She didn’t have those. Did she ever have those? Maybe. No, definitely not. Maybe once before. Who was she again?

“Rantaro, what...what…” Kaede wasn’t able to make a sentence as breathing took on a whole new precedence.

“Breathe.” Rantaro’s voice was loud, commanding. In the next moment, Kaede found herself at safely at the back of Maki’s group.

Maki’s blood colored eyes flashed viciously. She unsheathed a serrated blade from her waist, primed for confrontation. “How can you even do this Monokuma? Just what are you people?”

At that moment, the monokubs appeared in a poof of smoke.

 

_ “Rise and shine ursh…” _

“Shut up!” Maki’s insult was loud, low and deadly sounding.

“Aww, she stopped our introduction” said Monophanie, defeatedly. “We haven’t even done our introduction once yet!”

“Oho! So’s it looks like you bastards seem to realize what’s really at stake here.” Monosuke’s eyes glistened with delight.

“Hell yeah! When we said you need to  _ kill _ each other we weren’t joking around!” said Monokid.

“Father’s a pro at hosting killing games!” Monotaro happily quipped. “He’s got blood samples on all of you and DNA splicers at the ready. Father’s super prepared!”

“That’s right,” said Monosuke as he pushed his tiny glasses further up on his nose. “There’s been ongoing studies into what makes an Ultimate an Ultimate. The people who began the Ultimate Hunt had access to all of that information. Databases full of decoded DNA have been recorded on you snots…”

“Ultimate Hunt huh…” muttered Rantaro, still holding a weak looking Kaede in his arms. 

“Hey!” Himiko’s small fists were at her sides and she looked like she was about to cry in fright. “Wolves are my familiars. They aren’t vicious animals! If I had full mana right now I’d...I’d turn you all into rubber ducks!”

“Oh boohoo.” Monokuma’s arms swung behind his head as he leaned backwards. “I switched around Shuichi’s DNA a bit. Big deal. Not like you kids were giving me an option with your anti-kill attitudes.”

“So you plan on having Shuichi murder us in animal form Monokuma? That’s tacky isn’t it? Wasn’t this game supposed to be killing between students? Not mindless animals?” Ryoma’s low voice held an edge of malice to it.

“Well...I guess I can’t hold a trial if  _ Wereichi _ here turns one of you into dinner. No mystery! No sophistication! Nothing to be done I suppose, I’ll just have to take a hit on this one.”

“Awwww, but I wanted to spin around in the trial booths!” Kokichi’s eyes watered as he bit his thumb. “This is an outrage!”

“Now, now. I’ll have you all know that patience is a virtue! I’m sure we’ll get a dead body one way or another!”

_ Nyahahahahaha!  _

Monokuma’s laughter echoed within the gymasium as the monokubs joined in. 

“I’d get some weapons if I were yous,” said Monosuke as he smoked a tiny cigar. “Werewolves like eating humans alive ya know.”

“ _ Alive?...”  _ Tenko’s body froze at the thought.

 

_ “So long, bear well!”  _ The monokubs and Monokuma himself disappeared. 

 

The students were left in the gymnasium facing a what was now an aware and awake looking werewolf that was slowly pacing back and forth.

“He’s kinda cute isn’t he?” Himiko gushed. “He’s like a newborn wolf cub just learning to walk!”

“Don’t go sayin’ that from the get go Himiko,” said a concerned looking Kaito. “We don’t know if poor Shuichi is still in there or not.” Kaito shot a look at Maki. “He could just be a bloodthirsty animal right now, yeah?”

Maki’s face thinned as she considered Kaito’s words. “It’s possible. Let’s not put ourselves in needless danger. Let’s head to my dorm and I’ll equip you with a defense weapon.”

Gonta stood firm. “Gonta no hurt wolves. Gonta raised by nice wolves, he no hurt Shuichi!”

“But Gonta! This is no ordinary wolf!” Tsumugi patted Gonta’s back consolingly. “It’s like Moro the God-wolf from  _ Princess Mononoke _ . Shuichi could be uber powered now!”

Gonta looked toward Kirumi, confused. “What she say?”

“I believe Maki is correct,” said Kirumi. “We must first take care of ourselves before we can help Shuichi.”

“Then let us proceed,” stated Keebo. “My inner voice says that defending ourselves is a good first step to the situation.”

 

The students began to file out of the gymnasium. Rantaro noticed that Kaede stood unmoving looking toward the werewolf. He tugged gently at her sleeve to grab her attention.

“Kaede, we should go…”

“No.” Kaede sadly looked at Rantaro. “I can’t leave him. I can’t leave him like this. He doesn’t deserve this!”

“None of us deserve this!” Rantaro interjected forcefully. “If Monokuma is able to change him into  _ that _ , then it stands to reason he could change him back as well. Stop putting yourself in so much danger Kaede!  _ There are other ways…” _

A soft, quiet chuckle could be heard behind them. Rantaro and Kaede turned around to see Korekiyo standing at the doorway, his arms folded and his eyes crinkled in mirth.

“Ah, how extraordinarily beautiful young love is! I wonder if sister would agree: love is blind, yes?”

Rantaro’s eyes flashed at Korekiyo. “Not helping Kiyo!”

“I apologize, sincerely. But I can not help but admire the purity of feeling when I see it. I will take my leave now.” Kiyo slowly recessed into the shadows of the hallway, leaving Rantaro and Kaede alone.

“I have to try Rantaro. I have to try and see if he’s really in there. We trusted each other before…”

“But we have no defense! If you get him close to us and he attacks, we’re at his mercy.”

“I’ll call out to him from a distance. We’ll see if he recognizes my voice. If it doesn’t appear to work I’ll stop.”

“I don’t like this plan Kaede. We’re staying near the door.”

 

The pair stood next to the gym entrance with Rantaro’s hand around Kaede’s elbow.

 

“Shuichi, Shuichi are you there?”

Shuichi’s attention perked at the sound of the female voice.

_ [I know that voice] _

“Please Shuichi if you’re in there, I want you to know that we’re going to help you.”

_ [Happy voice. Nice voice] _

The creature formerly known as Shuichi began to move towards Kaede, his limbs moving in a sauntering pace--much like how a cheetah moves on the African plains. 

“Kaede this is crazy…” whispered Rantaro.

Kaede turned towards Rantaro, clasping both his hands. “Rantaro, I want you to go. Be safe please. I think he recognizes me, I can see it in his eyes…”

Rantaro’s eyes widened. “His eyes are yellow! How can you even see that?”

“Please. I just know. If he attacks me it won’t be your fault; I want you to know that.”

“Hell Kaede, if you get out of this unscathed I think I’m passing the Ultimate Survivor torch over to you…”

 

Kaede gratefully smiled as Rantaro closed himself behind the gym door. Shuichi approached her more quickly now that Rantaro was out of the way.

“Hey there, hey boy. Don’t be shy now. It’s me, remember?” 

Kaede extended her hand towards the werewolf, her anxiety making it shake slightly.

 

_ Is this how I get myself killed?  _

_ Shuichi bites my hand off and chows down the rest of me?  _

_ What am I even doing?  _

_ This is such a Kaito move isn’t it? _

 

Kaede smiled to herself. Maybe she had just signed her death warrant. But something inside her, whether it was a musician’s intuition or… Or love, maybe...that told her it was going to be okay. It  _ should  _ be okay.

Shuichi’s muzzle sniffed at Kaede’s hand. He made a whining sound before promptly licking it. 

“Oh Shuichi!” cried Kaede as she threw her arms around Shuichi’s long neck. “I’m so glad you’re there. So...glad…” Kaede’s voice began to waver as a tear escaped her eye. “I can’t do this without you. I’ll protect you. I’ll always protect you Shuichi…”


End file.
